Legendary Music Artists Honored for Their Important Career Contributions

Thomas Dolby (left) and Steve Vai.

At the 2018 NAMM Show in January, Roland and BOSS presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to synth-pop and electronic music pioneer Thomas Dolby and guitar virtuoso, artist, and producer Steve Vai. These annual awards recognize innovative music artists for their important contributions to the industry while using Roland and/or BOSS gear throughout their careers. Dolby and Vai join an exclusive group that includes past recipients Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Andy Summers.

New Audio Demos of the JP-08, JU-06, and JX-03 Sound Modules

If you’ve been lusting after the warm, rich sounds of Roland’s classic JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, and JX-3P analog synths from the 1980s and can’t get your hands on the originals, you won’t get any closer than the Roland Boutique series. Consisting of the JP-08, JU-06, and JX-03 sound modules, the series employs Roland’s acclaimed Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology to recreate the sound and response of the original legends with stunning accuracy. If you haven’t had a chance to hear the Roland Boutique series in person, check out the great new audio demos we’ve recently created using the factory patches in each module.

Legendary Roland Analog Synths Reborn as Compact Sound Modules

The Roland Boutique modules alongside their historic analog counterparts from the 1980s.

The Roland Boutique series has just been launched, featuring all-new compact sound modules that recreate renowned analog synthesizers from Roland’s historic past. Powered by the acclaimed Analog Circuit Behavior technology, the limited-edition series includes three modules based on the JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, and JX-3P instruments from the 1980s. Loaded with hands-on controls derived from the original synths, each module can be used as a tabletop MIDI device or mounted in the optional K-25m Keyboard Unit to create a standalone compact synth.

Dublab & Red Bull Present Key Tracks

In January, the Red Bull Music Academy debuted their Key Tracks series with dublab, an LA based non-profit public broadcasting Internet radio station. We were pleased to learn that the series opened with Electro legend Egyptian Lover who happened to make his monster 1984 track “Egypt, Egypt“ on a Roland TR-808 drum machine and a JUPITER-8 synth. In this video, the Egyptian Lover takes us back a couple of decades by recreating his original tune and talking about his inspiration for the song. Check it out!

Roland’s new JUPITER-50 was unveiled at the Frankfurt Musikmesse last year, and though it sits at the cutting-edge of new technology, it’s a synth that sits firmly in line with Roland’s synth philosophy and history.

The JUPITER-50 is a streamlined version of the flagship JUPITER-80, and both instruments fit neatly into Roland’s 40-year story of pioneering synthesizer development. As the JUPITER name suggests, these new synths are related to one of the most iconic synth lines ever created—the genre-defining JUPITER-8.

Using the most innovative analog technologies of the time, the JUPITER-8 was released in 1981 and provided musicians with a rich palette of synth textures. Its reliability and ease of use on stage made it a go-to instrument for the electro crowd of the time. Its built-in arpeggiator and deep sonic potential satisfied the synth elite and awed countless Duran Duran fans. More

Now available for your JUPITER-50 and JUPITER-80 is the legendary JUPITER-8. Get your free JUPITER Synth Legends Volume 1 sound collection download here. In the meantime, here are some JUPITER-8 facts.

Unlike anything else, the JUPITER-8 had a split keyboard, oscillator sync, cross modulation and polyphonic portamento. Its broad sonic range meant the electro pop community quickly adopted it as their synth of choice, and it appeared on the roster of stadium-filling artists such Duran Duran, Heaven 17, Howard Jones, and Erasure. Its big, room-filling sound defined the pop-music of a generation. More

In honor of the JUPITER Synth Legends, Volume 1, this post is dedicate

d to the real life legends who pioneered the movement during the golden era of synthesizers. The above video, “Synthesizer Medley” features Howard Jones, Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, and Stevie Wonder during the 1985 Grammy® Award Ceremony in Los Angeles, California. We chose this video as it symbolizes the time in history that made many of these sounds legendary. More